The mother-of-six said after coming out of hospital she was only offered single accommodation by police - and she refuses to go anywhere without her partner, right, who she says is the only person she trusts

Ms Whitlock, pictured, 37, was blinded in one eye after an acid attack in Southampton last year

She suffered extensive burn injuries to her face, neck, arm, and face after the brutal acid attack outside the city centre Turtle Bay restaurant in September last year.

Soon after the attack, she underwent a corneal graft operation in her right eye, a transplant which involves removing the central part of the cornea and replacing it with one from a donor.

Ms Whitlock said she feels abandoned by police after coming out of protected accommodation.

Hampshire Police said they have offered her help and will continue to offer assistance.

Ms Whitlock has been sleeping in a tent pitched inside a Southampton multi-storey car park for the past six weeks.

Ms Whitlock and her partner of five years Matthew Wedgner, 38, were moved to a protected property after police launched a hunt for her alleged attackers.

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

But after a month, the couple, who had previously spent time living in hostels, left the safe house to attend a series of hospital appointments for Carla's injuries in Southampton.

Since then she claims they have been homeless but police say they have continued to work with her.

She said: 'It's just horrible, I have had to cope and recover while being homeless, I have never felt so desperate.

'I just don't know what to do any more I feel like we are being held down and ignored, I blame the police for not keeping me safe.

'When we were first taken into protection, all the officers assured us that we had nothing to worry about, they would find us a flat and we would be looked after.

Ms Whitlock, pictured left and right, before the attack, was moved into a safe house by police but left it so she could attend a series of hospital appointments

'But now it's just an endless cycle of suffering, we're constantly cold and wet and forced into humiliating situations.

'People recognise me from appearing in the media after the attack so I can never escape what happened and I've had no time to actually process the fact that I'm blind. It's mortifying.

'I'm in contact with the police but they have only offered me accommodation without Matthew and I'm not going to leave him - he is the only person I feel safe around and I refuse to abandon him struggling on the streets while I'm safe somewhere.

'We've stayed with some friends and family but we can't expect them to keep supporting us and we're asking for help from the homeless teams but they are yet to find us a hostel.

'I find it hard to believe there is nowhere that we could both stay and at least have some warmth and cleanliness, it's a disgusting situation.'

Ms Whitlock has also said that because she has no home to go back to, she has been unable to book appointments for a selection of operations in hospital.

She is due to have a skin graft to help heal one of her eyes and further work done to the partially sighted eye in a bid to help restore some of her sight.

But without a home to recover in she is not able to have the surgery.

Mr Wedgner said: 'We love each other and have each other to stay safe.

'The police liaison officer has said there could be somewhere just for Carla but that would leave me homeless and wouldn't resolve the problem.

'We're the only people making each other feel safe and I don't feel like we should have to give that up.

'This is no way to treat the victim of an acid attack, she should be made to feel safe.'

The couple have been referred to the Street Homeless Prevention Team, who have allegedly offered a £600 deposit for accommodation but the pair are struggling to find a landlord willing to help them.

A Hampshire Police spokesman said: 'Hampshire Constabulary along with the Street Homeless Prevention Team, Southampton City Council and Portsmouth City Council have been working closely with Carla since her attack to find her safe and clean accommodation.

The attack took place outside the Turtle Bay restaurant, pictured, in Southampton city centre

'We understand she has not accepted the last accommodation she has been offered. We will continue to work with her.'

In November last year Geoffrey Midmore, 26, admitted to the attack on Carla when he appeared at Southampton Crown Court.

His brother Billy, 22, has denied involvement in the incident and will stand trial next month. Geoffrey is expected to be sentenced after his brother's trial.

Ms Whitlock tragically became a single mother in September 2013 when her husband, Paul, died after performing a wheelie on his motorbike before crashing at 78mph.

The 40-year-old was killed when he ploughed into building site barriers while travelling at more than twice the speed limit at an industrial estate in Southampton, Hants.

An inquest into his death, held at Southampton Coroner's Court last year, heard the accident happened just minutes after he left work at his car repair garage.

The father-of-six, from Southampton, died hours later in Southampton General Hospital, despite paramedics' desperate attempts to save him.